You may have read my previous article on starting an in-house team and wondered what those “specialized roles” might mean. Perhaps you are considering hiring someone to help you with your church’s website, and their resume reads like a Latin church service. More importantly, aside from a business card, you are unsure what skills they truly possess, and the credentials that this person their so-called expert status. Instead of focusing on job titles I will discuss some common skill and credentials those potential employees and volunteers should possess.
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Tag: Web Team
Web Teams: Starting An In-House Team
How do you go about creating an in-house web team for your church? What skill sets do you hire, and in what order do you bring them on board? Whether you are starting a website from scratch, or are taking it over after an external company developed it, there are several key roles you must fill on your new team. These roles are in a purposeful order, which is not to say that one is more important than the other. It is just a logical progression of needs and skills that will get your website running quickly and in the right direction.
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 21: Web Team Meetings (Part 3): Dealing with HIPPOs
In two previous episodes I discussed who to invite and what to do during your web team meetings. However one touchy subject not yet covered is that of dealing with a HIPPO or Highest Paid Person’s Opinion. Even though pay may not be involved, rank or status may be. You most likely have HIPPOs in your church, be it someone on an important committee, a gifted presenter, or even your pastor. Although their ideas are often good, you do not want to limit yourselves to that one influential person’s opinion. I will describe some ways to even the playing field so all ideas get a fair consideration and solicit conversation from some of your mild mannered members.
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 19: Web Team Meetings (Part 1): Who to Invite
In this episode I will outline the various church roles that should be involved in your regular website meetings; ensuring you keep the right people informed, as well as the proper authority to make those crucial decisions to guide the direction of your website. Unfortunately, most sites often start with one person who knows a little HTML, and the guidance of “go make us a website”. However as more people in the church get involved and interested in what the website can do, decisions become very complicated. So how do you form that winning team? A few key players in your church can meet and help your website exceed the expectations of everyone at your church.
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 16: Not Everyone is a Designer
In this episode I explain how to provide web design feedback, and dispel the rumor that not everyone is a designer. Unlike many other activities, such as tuning a piano, baking a killer crème brûlée, or running an enterprise data center; website users try their hand at designing websites just because they have used one in the past. Later in the podcast, I will explain how designs can be successfully altered with the right types of questions, and hopefully without offending the designer.
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Serving on a Church Website Team
So you want to be a web geek for us? Many smaller churches jump at the opportunity to bring someone into the fold and help volunteer their time and talent. Yet in 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Paul outlines some very specific things you should consider before bringing them into your ranks. How can you apply them to your website team?
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 13: Determining ROI (Part 4): From Analytics to Project
This week’s episode will finalize our journey into analytics as I settle on one method to turn analytics data into an actionable projects. It should be a relief that you can finally do something other than collect data and then make a few educated guesses. It is time for some deeper analysis and the creation of test projects. The end result is hopefully a successful project that was initiated because of solid data rather than shaky conjecture.
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Should You Use Christian Web Services?
Should you work with a company that is explicitly Christian, or opt for one that is not? Yes they may understand your situation better, but are you missing out on a great company just because they don’t have a cross in their logo? This article will outline several pros and cons of considering any, or specifically Christian web services.
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Church Website Critique Guidelines
When it comes time to review pending website updates, things can get out of hand quickly. Feelings can get hurt, broad sweeping statements can be made, and everyone turns into a veteran website designer. With these easy website critique guidelines, turn awkward meetings into productive feedback sessions you will actually look forward to.
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Website Failure: Placing Blame
Many decisions around websites are subjective; that is based on opinions and guesses. There are emerging areas for objective, numbers-based, decisions; but those techniques are often out of scope of smaller churches. That said, what happens when those subjective decisions go awry and your website does not meet expectations?
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When Your Pastor Does Not Care
If you are reading any of my articles, you probably feel that your website could use some help. One of the driving factors behind a good church website is the pastor. They are considered the leaders of the church, and have a profound impact on how regularly your church’s website is updated. However, when your pastor is not participating or even against your website strategy, there is still hope.
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A Congregation of Contributors
Are you a web team of one? Or at least a web team that seems very short on personnel? Take heart, this article will show you where the hidden talent lies within your church. Hopefully you will get the help and support you so desperately need to survive and thrive.